Last year’s winner Cross Counter is among the nominations for the 2019 Group 1 $8m Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 5.

2018 Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter, above, is among the nominations for the 2019 Melbourne Cup at Flemington. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Charlie Appleby trained Cross Counter heads up the contingent of thirty-nine international stayers that are included in the 152 nominations for The Race That Stops A Nation on the first Tuesday in November.

Cross Counter showed his wares as a world class stayer with his win in the 2018 Melbourne Cup and Appleby is set to return to Australia with the Northern Hemisphere four year old after he ran a game third to the odds on favourite Stradivarius in the Group 1 £500,000 Qatar Goodwood Cup Stakes (2 miles) at Goodwood in England on July 30.

“He has strengthened this year. He was a well-handicapped horse when winning last year’s Melbourne Cup. It will be a stiffer task this year, but the way he won the race we know he handles all the conditions down there, so it is well worth going again,” Appleby said.

“He has still run a solid race and he has got a racing weight in the Melbourne Cup at the moment. We hope he will have a live shot again.”

“We will see how Cross Counter comes out of this race and we might take in the Irish St Leger (G1, 14f, the Curragh, September 15) before returning to Melbourne.”

The next six horses to cross the line behind Cross Counter in the 2018 Melbourne Cup are also entered for this year’s Cup, Marmelo (GB, Hughie Morrison), Prince Of Arran (GB, Charlie Fellowes), Finche (GB, Chris Waller), Rostropovich (IRE, David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig), Youngstar (Chris Waller) and Sir Charles Road (Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott).

“It’s great to see Cross Counter given his chance to become the first dual international winner of the Melbourne Cup and those horses that finished second through seventh behind him last year being given their chance to atone.” Racing Victoria’s (RV) Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter said.

Appleby has also nominated Ispolini while Finche and Youngstar are two of Chris Waller’s thirteen Melbourne Cup entries which also includes 2019 Australian Oaks winner Verry Elleegant and the 2018 The Metropolitan winner Patrick Erin.

Group 1 winner Avilius is one of four James Cummings trained stayers entered for Australia’s greatest race while Newcastle trainer Kris Lees has ten entries headed up by Red Cardinal and Bigg Duke.

Victorian trainer Anthony Freedman has nominated Japanese import Ambitious as well as Steel Prince who has already secured a spot in the 2019 Melbourne with his win in the Listed $400,000 The Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington on May 25 after that race was included among the exempt free races.

The winners of Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2500m), the Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m), the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) and the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) are also exempt from the ballot for the 2019 Melbourne Cup.

Weights for the 2019 Melbourne Cup will be released on Tuesday, September 10 while the first acceptances will be taken on Tuesday October 1.

A further two rounds of acceptances will be taken on October 15 and October 28 before the final field for the 2019 Melbourne Cup being declared on Saturday, November 2.

Nominations for the 2019 Melbourne Cup (3200m)